AZ attracted a number of of expansions because, imo, the (or enough) communications infrastructure was there. Way back, when it wasn’t all laptops, smart phones, thumb drives, ime, AZ was among a few info backup hubs. Free of weather yoyos, natural disasters, and the ways bad snow can drive things to a halt. For some customer svc operations, being able to shift calls to an open center mattered. Etc.
Now, I dunno. The needs are particular. Eg, manufacturing vs design and marketing. This isn’t about factories. Or call centers.
Air travel? We’re focusing on that, as if volumes of employees will routinely leave their base to travel. I think not. Imo, it’ll be execs, as needed, marketing related and development support. Ie, getting to major clients, other firms involved in subcontracts. Or regulatory work.
I worked in S CA, my regional HQ was SF, my division HQ in Atlanta, almost all my support there. (True HQ was Midwest. ) Doschicos, agree, the time zone difference was fine. You adjust. If it was the hurdle folks make it out to be, few coastal corps could succeed with client bases that extend across the country.
There’s land east of Denver… but public transportation and roads here are grossly inadequate, certainly by the standards of big urban centers on either coast/midwest. And Coloradans just HATE paying taxes. I don’t see how the infrastructure limitations would be met by Amazon given the state’s fiscal stinginess.
One of their requirements is no more than 45 minutes commute from an international airport, which will put cities such as Atlanta, Boston, and NYC at a disadvantage due to their infamous traffic conditions.
Chicago? Major airport hub, train hub, existing mass transit. U of Chicago, Northwestern in Chicago and UIUC, Purdue, Wisconsin and Notre Dame not too far away.
“Air travel? We’re focusing on that, as if volumes of employees will routinely leave their base to travel. I think not. Imo, it’ll be execs, as needed, marketing related and development support. Ie, getting to major clients, other firms involved in subcontracts. Or regulatory work.”
Exactly. With technology these days, is being literally face to face that important? There are other ways to interface and if anyone can do it, it is the techie businesses. I’ve spent my career in finance. Lived in different time zones but we were always on Wall Street time.
Travel remains important. Wife and I both work in tech where travel for marketing, sales, and technical reasons is common. Voice and video also used, but there is still nothing like meeting f2f. Also, travel between company campuses is enough to warrant company jet to travel a circuit each day (actually saving on commercial air costs).
A city can become “vibrant” in a short period of time, but transit is hard to build. It requires public money and a lot of voter support. Then it takes time… look at Boston’s big dig and our light rail… my bet they want something with an existing transportation system.
My kids are both in tech and travel extensively. I’m always surprised at the amount of travel and don’t understand why they don’t use all the various forms of video conferencing.
Mr. B occasionally travels to the mother ship, and he says the 737s are filled with techies traveling between Seattle and Bay Area, and they are not commuting. Oftentimes, he sees the same guys on the return flights.
RFP requirements: within 30 miles of the 1+ million population city and within 45 minutes of an international airport.
So, close in
Is Austin’s airport considered international?
Agree that public transportation system in place but they could add an extension to the chosen site.
“One of their requirements is no more than 45 minutes commute from an international airport, which will put cities such as Atlanta, Boston, and NYC at a disadvantage due to their infamous traffic conditions.”
Boston wouldn’t be a problem, definitely not with the East Boston/Revere location. You could get there with enough time to stop for pizza at Santarpio’s.
Dos, that Greek sandwich shop 2 blocks off the beach in Revere. Ha.
Just because some travel doesn’t mean the horde or a corp jet. My execs travelled, but not all the time. It depended on client needs.I flew all over, but not all the time.
What someone else said about Atlantic City NJ makes sense. Then can get all sorts of deals on vacant office space and if NJ is throwing in tax breaks, then that beach becomes pretty attractive. White house subs too!
Austin/Round Rock
Central time zone, No snow, hurricanes, fires, tornados, etc, Non stop flights to Seattle, Chicago, NY <5hrs etc, 50k students at UT Austin , lots of tech there.
